A transfer case is required in vehicles that power all four of the vehicle's wheels (i.e., four-wheel and all-wheel drive vehicles). The transfer case is connected to the transmission and directs power to both the front and rear axles. In particular, the transfer case receives power from the transmission and sends it to the front and rear axles.
On occasion, the transfer case must be put into a neutral position, which is accomplished by decoupling the transfer case from the transmission. For instance, the transfer case must be put into the neutral position before recreationally towing the vehicle or attaching the vehicle to e.g., an RV. This prevents damage to the vehicle's transfer case and transmission.
To put the electronic transfer case into the neutral position, current vehicles require the driver to manually activate an electric switch that decouples the transfer case from the transmission. The electric switch generally consists of a button that the driver pushes with his or her finger or a much smaller plunger-type button that requires a small object such as a pin to press it in. The electric switch, however, is susceptible to sticking, especially if the driver inadvertently spills a beverage/liquid on the switch. For instance, a driver may spill a sticky liquid on the switch that causes the switch to stick the next time the driver presses it. When this occurs, the driver is unable to shift the transfer case out of neutral. Another drawback of the current switch is that it is not multi-functional and only serves one purpose, i.e., decoupling the transfer case from the transmission.
Accordingly, there is a need and desire to provide an improved system and method for shifting the transfer case into and out of the neutral position.